Italy donates medical equipment to boost maternal, child health in Lango, Acholi
By Charles Samuel Epiat
A total of 12 hospitals in the Acholi and Lango sub-regions in Northern Uganda have received 1,700 assorted medical equipment for maternity suits and neonatal intensive care units meant to enhance safe delivery by the expectant mothers in the two regions.
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The 12 hospitals include, Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, Anyeke HC IV, Atipe HC III, Lacor Hospital, Amuru HC III, Pabbo HC III, Lira Regional Referral Hospital, Aber Hospital, Pader HC III, Lacor HC III Opit, Kalongo Hospital and Paimol HC III
This comes at a time where the rate of child morbidity and mortality has increased especially in the areas of the Lango.
According to statistics, in 2022, 4.9 million children under 5 years of age died globally, which translates to 13,400 children under the age of 5 dying every day as of 2022.
AVSI, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation teamed up to help 6.2 million people in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
The aim is to boost emergency care for moms and kids, in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 3 which focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well being for all ages.
Dr. Jackie Alobo, a technical advisor for maternal health at AVSI says Lango sub region needs help with early births due to the high rates of premature deliveries.
"Most of this equipment will support in detecting problems for mothers and babies, for instance we have radiant warmers for babies that are born prematurely and need to be kept warm so that they survive, blood pressure machines that are used to detect high blood pressure in the mothers," Dr. Alobo said.
This initiative is part of a two-year, Euro 5.5 million program aimed at improving maternal and child health across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Dr. Paolo M. Gaimbelli the Uganda Program coordinator of Italian Agency For Development Cooperation says, with guidance from the ministry of health, they chose the Northern part of Uganda because of it's long cooperation with the Italian government .
"In the past, we have been supporting health sector in Uganda and I have to say that Uganda is getting more and more important and was recently identified as a priority country for the cooperation" says Dr. Gaimbelli.
Dr. Baifa Arwinyo who coordinates local maternity for Acholi sub region says there is a high burden of new borns at the hospital that are sick especially those born prematurely.
"In our new born care unit here at Gulu regional referral hospital, we receive an average of about 40 prematurely born admitted in the new born care unit."
"Acholi sub-region has been flagged as one of the regions with high newborn death cases nationally after Kampala and Bunyoro".
